Business is brewing in Fairview Heights with plans for a drive-thru-only coffee shop
New coffee shops continue to pop up around the metro-east, giving coffee fiends (like myself) plenty of options to grab a hot (or cold, if that’s your thing) cup of joe.
Or as I prefer to call it, the elixir of life.
Fairview Heights in particular has plenty of coffee options, including the more recent additions of Starbucks on Lincoln Trail, Gloria Jean’s Coffees at St. Clair Square and Scooter’s Coffee on North Illinois Street.
Another will soon join them as 7 Brew Coffee takes up residence this year at 6308 N. Illinois St.
Plans for the new drive-thru-only coffee shop were approved 10-0 Tuesday by the Fairview Heights City Council.
Anticipated hours of operation will be 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
Groundbreaking is slated for summer 2025 with construction to take approximately 10 to 12 weeks, according to the project narrative provided with the permit application.
On the menu
Unlike most coffee shops in the area, 7 Brew Coffee does not offer food, only beverages.
The menu on the company’s website features 7 Brew’s seven originals:
Blondie: vanilla and caramel breve (a latte made with half-and-half instead of milk)
Brunette: hazelnut and caramel mocha
Smooth 7: Irish cream and white chocolate breve
White Chocolate Mocha: white chocolate and milk chocolate mocha
Cinnamon Roll: brown sugar cinnamon and white chocolate breve
German Chocolate: coconut and caramel mocha
Sweet & Salty: salted caramel and white chocolate breve
Other menu items include:
Classics: latte, mocha, breve, caramel macchiato, cappuccino, house blend, chai latte, matcha latte, cocoa
7 Energy (iced or chiller): an energy drink infused with any flavor or sugar-free
7 Fizz: sparkling water infused with any flavor; add cream or whipped cream
Cold Brew
Teas & Lemonades: sweet/unsweet, green, earl gray, Paris, decaf, cinnamon spice, classic lemonade flavors or make a combo
Smoothies & Shakes: strawberry, piña colada, wildberry, mango, peach, blue pom; classic ice cream flavors or make your own combo
For a list of syrup flavors and sauces, check out the menu at 7brew.com/menu.
Project details
The application for the new business was submitted by Brian Evans of Brew Crew, LLC, a 7 Brew franchisee based in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Site plans for the project call for the demolition of the building that previously housed a Mattress Direct store. The location currently houses the Better Night Sleep Center, which is still in operation.
The building will be replaced by a 510-square-foot drive thru and a 280-square-foot remote storage/cooler unit structure.
An existing storage building at the back, southeast corner of the lot will remain. Plans included a proposal to install landscaping/screening to shield it from view.
The applicant’s project narrative stated that customers will be welcomed at their vehicles by an “energetic barista, who will take their order via an iPad,” like they do at Chick-fil-A.
Drinks at 7 Brew Coffee are made-to-order and delivered to customers’ vehicles, the narrative stated, allowing them to quickly “get in and out to tackle their day.”
According to the application, 7 Brew averages about 650 cars per day, which breaks down to around 36 cars per hour.
The new location will employ approximately 48-50 people, in typical shifts of four or five employees at a time.
Previous discussion
The project was described as a “scrape and rebuild” at the Dec. 18 Community Committee meeting.
There was discussion about the exit and whether there should be a stipulation to make the exit a right turn only, as recommended by the planning commission.
Dallas Alley, director of Land Use and Development, recommended sending the item to the council without the stipulation, adding that no one on the planning commission is a traffic engineer.
When asked by a committee member if a median would prevent drivers from turning left, Alley replied that there is no median to obstruct a left turn.
The median in question begins north of the lot in question.
The committee voted to recommend approval to the council without the stipulation.
About 7 Brew Coffee
Founded in 2017, 7 Brew Coffee opened its first stand in Rogers, Arkansas.
Co-founder Ron Crume stated that he was inspired by the Dutch Bros. Coffee brand, according to a June 2017 article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
The Oregon native first had the idea of his own coffee business in the 1990s when he worked as a custom builder in Arkansas.
Over the years, the company was acquired by other entities.
Brew Culture, a group of entrepreneurs, acquired it and grew to nine units, according to Forbes.
Then it was acquired in 2021 by Drink House Holdings, a company started by Jimmy John’s founder Jimmy John Liautaud and Lone Star Steak House founder Jamie Coulter.
Liautaud sold his shares in the company in February 2024 to Blackstone Growth.
In March 2021, 7 Brew started offering franchising opportunities.
Brew Crew, LLC, the first and largest 7 Brew Coffee franchisee, opened its first stand in Springfield, Missouri in December 2021.
The franchisee has locations in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas with plans to build in Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois.
The nearest stands are currently located at 6536 Chippewa St. in St. Louis, and 8180 N. Lindbergh Blvd. in Florissant, Missouri.
For more info about 7 Brew Coffee, visit 7brew.com.
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
